More on Emma Bliss

Emma is a pure joy! So appropriate that her middle name means "Joy" or "Perfect Joy!"
She is such a sweet, sweet little baby! Up to this point she has been very laid back, which is a major gift from God! :) She has even been sleeping ridiculous amounts of time at night so far!! Not sure if it will last, but it has been LOVELY!!
I am so in love with her! She has grown so much already. Her looks have changed, and she is SO alert!! She has been such a somber, thoughtful little thing since day one! She has been smiling A LOT lately! It's SO sweet!
She is very dainty. She folds her hands so sweetly, and moves her beautiful long fingers in such a girlie way!
It feels very different having a girl. The love isn't more or less than it is for the boys - it's just different. I felt like the boys were my little dolls, but Emma feels even MORE like a doll I'm playing house with! It must be the little pink clothes, hair bows & frilly socks! I don't know.
I feel so happy and blessed to have three beautiful, healthy children. I love having two boys & one girl! God has given me such a gift in granting me my youthful dreams of boys & then a girl!
Thank you, God!

Some things to remember about Emma and her first month:
* She has slept about 7 hours at night since her first days.
* She is so laid back, and when she does get upset, her cry is usually fairly soft (it reminds me of a dog sometimes!) and she is easy to console. Her favorite thing is to be close to someone, or all wrapped up in a blanket!
* She LOVES to sleep. So like James here. She sleeps all those hours at night, then sleeps until about 9 or 10 after eating earlier! She has such a hard time waking up. In her early days it could take about 30 min. to wake her up, and when she was awake, she could easily drop back off to sleep.
* She loves to be carried about in the moby. She conks hard & sleeps long. Also the same for sleeping on her tummy or after a bath. SO tired after a bath!
* We swaddle her at night only so far.
* She wasn't a huge fan of the binky, although she would take it some. She is getting more used to it (for better or worse! But it does help to soothe her, so I say for better!) Sometimes she makes a horrible face when it's put in her mouth, and spits it out. She also will sometimes use it for a while, fall asleep & then lose it.
* Her brothers love her to no end, and are often coming right up in her face and kissing her. They love to hold her. Nicolas talks high pitched to her, and Patrick speaks so sweetly & comfortingly to her. Other times they both just laugh and laugh at her!
* I love seeing James with her! So glad he has a daughter now, too.
* At times her faces remind me of a mouse or a turtle.
* She eats usually every 3 or so hours. Sometimes more, sometimes less. She isn't very demanding about it, which is good and bad.
* at one month she seemed to take more interest in her mobile!
* Her eyes are blue right now. A deep, beautiful blue. Such eyes! the looks she makes are most amazing. She is an amazing person!
* The pack 'n play bassinet is working quite well for her to sleep in, in our room. She is our only baby to sleep exclusively in our room this long. I usually don't sleep well with babies in my room, and although they do either at first, or later end up spending a lot of the night in our room (in our bed) they usually were officially moved to their room earlier than one month, I think. I love looking over the bassinet at her. This is such a precious, short time!

More on Emma's name:
I feel like God has given me a specialness to her name. At first I didn't feel that "connection" that I've felt before about a name. The meaning was nice, but It just felt like something was missing.
About 2 weeks before Emma was due, something happened in our life. It was a life changing event, and through it, the Lord did some work in our hearts. After working through all that some, Emma Bliss' name suddenly "clicked" a lot more for me.
Emma has various meanings. The one we have chosen to think of for her is "Complete."
Bliss means "Joy" or "Perfect Joy."
Earlier I shared some verses that I'd chosen to be "her verse," but I've found another one, and a song, that really mean something to me as far as her name, and what God did for me around the time she was born - and what God can do for her, and anyone else!

God is teaching me about freedom and forgiveness. The words to the hymn "It is well with my soul" say:
"My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord oh my soul!"
and that is what God showed me, when I was just weeks away from giving birth to our little Miss Bliss.
No matter what I've done, God can forgive me. My sins are nailed to the cross, and I bear them no more. Truly a blissful thought!
"Weeping may endure for a night, but JOY cometh in the morning" Psalm 30
Right before her expected arrival, we walked through a difficult time. It was a night season of our life, but we had the hope of something very joyful coming. - a new life coming to join us - morning was coming! and indeed, she has brought us such JOY!
No matter what we may go through, or face in our life, we can have COMPLETE forgievness, and live a life of COMPLETE JOY in our Lord! He is so good.

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well, I'm off to spend the rest of my evening with my baby doll & my hubby. Btw - J has begun a new job! More on that later I hope!

Tarry by His Promises

There are great and precious promises for those who will believe

and the children of the Father's love His gracious gifts receive.

When my outward strength is almost gone and I cannot bear the test

He assures me of the promises on which my faith can rest.

I'll tarry here by the promises and wait on the Lord

knowing each promise brings His sure reward

I'm holding fast to his promises not one word will fail

I'll focus on the mighty One whose promises prevail.

When I'm compassed round on every side and I cannot see his face,

when I wander dry and desert lands and search for streams of grace

When my heart is bound by grief and woe or robed in leaves of shame

by every promise in His word my Savior writes my name.

I'll tarry here by the promises and wait on the Lord

knowing each promise brings His sure reward

I'm holding fast to his promises not one word will fail

I'll focus on the mighty One whose promises prevail.

Not a pledge He gives He'll not redeem, not a hope He'll not fulfill

and where His finger points the way He'll show His perfect will

When the night is dark and the future veiled and my eyes long for the light

He will meet me where his promises shine brightly in the night.

I'll tarry here by the promises and wait on the Lord

knowing each promise brings His sure reward

I'm holding fast to his promises not one word will fail

I'll focus on the mighty One whose promises prevail.

("Tarry by the Promises" by Loren Elms - transcribed to the best of my ability - I may have messed up a few words!)

This is a beautiful song (I listen to it on the Knight Family's CD, and it's so lovely!) that has become very special to me, and is such an encouragement to me as we are facing these issues of Patrick's health.

It has been a long road, and it's longer still - and looking pretty complicated. It's something that often gives me a nervous feeling, and makes me feel like I might go crazy. It's all so complicated and overwhelming and difficult. I love my little boy SO much, and it's so hard to see him going through these things.

It's so hard for me to go through them, too. To not be overwhelmed and ruled by fear....to trust God with all the ins and outs - and ultimately with my son - who is, after all, just on loan to us from Himself.

I must trust Him, and tarry by His promises. He is faithful!

God's promises to me:

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." - Hebrews 13:1

"...My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. " II Cor 12:9

"but (I) am faithful, (and)will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." I Cor 10:14b

"...My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

"(I have) not given (you) a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7